The Master and His Wealthy Fiancée

When he arrived at the Drunken Immortal Tower, the first floor was much livelier than it had been yesterday. A large scroll hung in the center of the main hall, showing a miniature depiction of the tower's seven stories. On it, two dots—one white and one red—marked the third floor. A betting pool had been opened on Mu Qingzhu and Feng Wei based on the scroll. Few of the people present were here to drink; most had come to gamble.

Chen Dong had no interest in such wagers. He only had one day, and his chances of getting to drink the Drunken Immortal Brew were already slim to none.

Mu Qingzhu was on the third floor, so Chen Dong decided to find her first. Just as he was about to head upstairs, a voice stopped him.

"Wang Yang, bring the Young Master home!" a girl in a distinctive green dress commanded.

"Miss Wan'Er." Wang Yang obeyed, grabbing Chen Dong's arm. His grip was powerful.

'My arm hurts, my head hurts, my heart aches,' Chen Dong thought. 'What is this foolish girl trying to do? I've already resolved to risk my life, and she wants to drag me back now of all times.'

"Miss Wan'Er, I'm just going upstairs for a moment. It won't take long."

Chen Dong said, hoping for the best. He believed he had built some rapport with Wang Wan'Er and that she would surely grant him this small favor.

But to his surprise, Wang Wan'Er gave him no quarter. With a cold expression, she said, "Absolutely not. The Young Miss said I must watch you closely today. We are returning to the Prince's Mansion right now!"

She acted as if she and Chen Dong were complete strangers, her indifference chilling.

Wang Yang was completely obedient to Wang Wan'Er's orders. His grip tightened, and he began to drag Chen Dong away.

This was perhaps his last chance. How could Chen Dong possibly go back?

With a twist of his hand, Chen Dong executed a reverse wrist lock, seamlessly transitioning into a "Part the Wild Horse's Mane" that sent Wang Yang staggering back. He immediately moved to head upstairs.

But in a flash, Wang Wan'Er appeared, blocking the staircase.

She stated coolly, "The Young Miss knows the wedding is tomorrow. She's too excited to sleep. She ordered me to watch you with the utmost care and not let you take a single step out of the Prince's Mansion!"

Chen Dong sighed inwardly. 'Not enough time. I failed to win Wang Wan'Er over. In her eyes, I'm nowhere near as important as the Wang Family or Wang Xian'Er.'

He took a step up the wall, intending to leap over Wang Wan'Er. But an enraged Wang Yang lunged forward, cutting off his route and forcing him to retreat back into the main hall.

Wang Yang huffed, "I never knew our young master-in-law knew martial arts! If we let him escape, we're in for a serious caning when we get back!"

The four Wang Family guards who had been trailing them noticed the scuffle and instantly surrounded Chen Dong.

With Wang Yang and his high-grade True Qi, plus four guards who cultivated Inner Strength, Chen Dong's injured body was no match for them. His only option was to find the weakest point in their formation and break through.

He took a quick step, darting through an opening. He met an oncoming guard with a reverse arm smash from Baji Fist, clearing a path for himself. But instead of fleeing, he acted on instinct. He dodged another guard's side kick, stepped back to press down on the leg, then followed up with a "Circling Twin Parting Palms" strike that sent two of them reeling.

Against four guards, Wang Yang, and—most dangerous of all—Wang Wan'Er, whose power was approaching the Inner Vision realm, escape was impossible. The only way out was up.

In a blur, he leaped onto a table. Using his raw physical strength, he executed the Ladder Cloud Jump, vaulting clear over Wang Wan'Er to land on the staircase leading to the second floor.

The patrons in the tavern cheered loudly.

But before Chen Dong could even reach the second floor, Wang Wan'Er had him subdued. The power of an Outer Manifestation expert overwhelming someone like him was child's play.

In a flash of movement, she struck his acupoints. Chen Dong was instantly paralyzed.

It was the very same Acupoint Pressing technique that Chen Dong had taught her just last night. 'Hoisted by his own petard,' he thought. This was the perfect example.

An immense sorrow filled Chen Dong's heart. 'To die before the battle is won, leaving heroes to weep for all time!'

He now understood that feeling completely.

Tied up like a mummy, Chen Dong was hauled back to the Wang Family estate and locked in his own chambers.

Now, not only were Wang Wan'Er and Wang Yang in the room with him, but a squad of twenty guards was posted outside. The security was ironclad.

Forget leaving the room—Chen Dong couldn't even move a muscle. All he could do was quietly await his wedding.

'Maybe I should just go along with it,' he mused. 'The Wang Family is a powerful local clan, after all. They're wealthy; I'd never have to worry about food or drink. It's just… my future wife isn't quite my type. A bit on the heavy side. Still, my body has endured a First-Grade Pill Tribulation. That much weight shouldn't be enough to crush me…'

PTUI! PTUI! PTUI! PTUI! PTUI!

Chen Dong quickly spat the thought away. 'I'm getting soft,' he cursed himself. 'It's just the Wang Family. I haven't even taken a proper beating yet, and I'm already thinking of giving in?'

In this predicament, he could only rely on himself. He glared at Wang Wan'Er and shouted, "You've gone too far! When I'm officially the Wang Family's son-in-law, I'll have you both caned!"

Wang Wan'Er wasn't the least bit intimidated. Wang Yang, however, just chuckled awkwardly. "Of course, of course. We'll let our young master-in-law cane us in the future."

"Untie me. I won't run again," Chen Dong bluffed. "The fight just now aggravated my injuries. I need to prepare an herbal remedy and take a medicinal bath. Also, you are to tell me the very moment Master Wang returns. Otherwise, I'm done treating Wang Xian'Er's illness!"

At the mention of Wang Xian'Er, both of their expressions changed. They immediately agreed and released Chen Dong from his bonds.

If Chen Dong refused to continue treatment because of them, and something happened to Wang Xian'Er, they would pay with their lives.

Chen Dong shot them both a cold look. Now that his threat had worked, he turned his attention to preparing the medicinal herbs.

'I was holding off on restoring my True Qi because I was afraid they'd put me under heavy guard,' he thought. 'But things have already reached this point, so what's the use in worrying? Every bit of True Qi I can recover is a plus. With it, I'll be in a much better position to face the situation.'

'They've already got me completely locked down. How much worse could it possibly get?'